I have seen several other reviews and the emphasis is on how the film deals with a Christian marriage on the brink of divorce and the causes: lack of communication, selfishness, etc. But the strength of this film is its willingness to look at the impact of pornography on a marriage. No one wants to consider the influence of this social virus on the souls of individuals, marriages, and relationships.

I say "kudos" to the filmmakers for finally talking about the invisible elephant in the living room of "good" families.

Watch how the Cameron character treats his mother and his wife. He has no respect for anyone except his buddies at the fire station. Thank goodness his own father is willing to persevere and work with his son - before it is too late.

The film does preference "message" over "art" but because the theme is such an important issue, I recommend the film to begin a conversation about pornography in the faith community and beyond.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Here's my theory about the film that opened the Venice International Film Festival in late August (I posted something about this film earlier).

The Coen Brothers were sitting around one day, shooting the breeze, basking in the impending glow of an Oscar after working so hard on NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, thinking of the political landscape and wondering what kind of mischief they might make between the US, its citizens and Russia before the election - with as little money - and effort - as possible. Another Cold War? Remember, the Coens thought of it first.

What they came up with is an ensemble cast of actors making crazy with a very funny convoluted script and a low budget. You can look up the actors on www.imdb.com.

But let me mention a few....

Brad Pitt as a 40-something acting like a 20-something airhead gym trainer is hilarious.

Frances McDormand, as Brad Pitt's co-conspirator, is wry, distsy, and pretty much an idiot along with most of the cast.

Tilda Swinton, the unhappy ice queen, is still the ice queen. Brrr. Scary.

John Malkovich, for once more or less innocent, gets pay back for all the bad guys he ever played. When he is fired from his top level job at the CIA, a disk with his resume and ongoing jobs is lost, McDormand and Pitt find it, and almost like a McGuffin, that misplaced disk gets things rolling.

Richard Jenkins, the well-deserved flavor of the month actor, or year, rather, is very good as the gym manager who loves the McDormand character - and loses.

Alas, she's too busy manufacturing a spy conspiracy, to notice.

George Clooney, back on his most familiar K Street in DC, said this is the third idiot movie he has made for the Coens. OK. Not his best (O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU is, in my opinion), but he'll do.

There is some graphic violence and other distasteful aspects that will make some viewers uncomfortable. But as a funny, improbable film, it'll do.

Does the film make a political statement? Oh yes. Cynicism and metaphorical satire in the hands of the Coen Brothers. Well, you know what they're like.

I hope these guys leavetheir brains to science. Or somebody, take an MRI.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The 2008 – 2009 MASTER TEACHER IN MEDIA LITERACY certification course is set to begin on September 20th at the Pauline Center for Media Studies, 3908 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA.

Full details and a registration form are available at www.PaulineCMS.org or you can obtain a form at the Pauline Book & Media Center, 3908 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA. 90230.

Since 2007 more than 30 catechists, teachers, and pastoral ministers have been certified. This certification is recognized by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the Dioceses of Orange and San Diego. Please see www.PaulineCMS.org for more information.

Friday, September 5, 2008

The SIGNIS Jury has awarded its Grand Prize to Kathryn Bigelow’s anti-war film THE HURT LOCKER. According to the jury’s statement, the motivation for this choice is the filmmaker’s uncompromising approach to the Iraq war and its consequences seen through the experience of the bomb diffusion specialists for whom war is an addiction rather than a cause. “The film challenges the audience’s view of war in general and the current war in particular because it demonstrates the struggle between violence to the body and psychological alienation.”

The SIGNIS jury also gave one commendation to VEGAS: BASED ON A TRUE STORY, a small budget film that is an allegory about futile obsession and greed of a marginalized family on the periphery of Las Vegas and another commendation to TEZA, a film that highlights the conflict between ideology and the personal life of an Ethiopian intellectual.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the Catholic jury at the Venice Film Festival coordinated by SIGNIS, the world Catholic association for communication based in Brussels. The members of the international jury are Rose Pacatte, president of the jury (United States, researcher and film critic), Sergio Joel Ascencio Casillas (Mexico, researcher and film critic), Raffaella Giancristofaro (Italy, journalist and film critic), Peter Malone (Australia, journalist and film critic), Charles Martig (Switzerland, journalist and film critic), , Federico Pontiggia (Italy, journalist and film critic), Freddy Sartor, Belgium, journalist and film critic).

Well, almost the last day. It is Friday afternoon. There was to have been a screening last night ... The Seed of Disconent ... an Italian sex comedy, but the print didn,t arrive on time for the 7pm screening, so I missed it as there was no way I was going to a 10.30pm screening. The other members of the jury who did go told me the film didn-t meet our criteria anyway. Then this morning we saw THE WRESTLER.

Then our jury met at the Excellsior Hotel in the room provided by a Catholic film group from Rome, and we discerned which film would receive our prize.

The award ceremony is tomorrow afternoon in the Press Conference Room here at the Casino. Then the jury was given some tickets for the awards ceremony and the dinner after. I am not a night person as many of you know so I didn-t volunteer. Alas, as the president of the jury it seems good for me to go, though we are small fish in a very large ocean over here. Will report on this once I get back to LA.

The days here have been warm and last night there was a thunder storm, but other than that, heavenly. Blue sky and sun. OK, some humidity and annoying beatialini ... bugs. Cigarette smoke like you wouldn,t believe, and if there was a visual motif that ran through all the films at the festival, it was cigarette smoking. I took some photos of the cigarette displays in one of the shops. You wouldn,t believe the warnings they have on the packs over here. But do the warnings work... are you kidding ... the punctuation on this keyboard has been re/programmed so please correct as you go along.

So,

THE WRESTLER... Stars Mickey Rourke as Randy the Ram, a professional wrestler on his last legs. He cannot pay his rent at the trailer park where he lives in New Jersey ... Rahway I think, there is no wife in the picture, but a friendly stripper, and he is alienated from his daughter. He still wrestles on the weekends but works in the back of a supermarket wekedays. He also takes steroids and sells traffics in pills on the side. But he-s got a good heart and he still has his fans.... some anyway. Then he has a heart attack and is told he has to stop wrestling. It is not so easy.... I thought Rourke did an excellent job in this role. It is a very sad film, however, and filled with loneliness.

Mickey Rourke in THE WRESTLER

And this, my friends, is my last film of the festival! Thanks for reading along....

Blessings. I will post photos or a link to Shutterfly as soon as I can.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

This stylistic theatrical (as on the stage) film is a walk on the dark side of politics where everyone must make a choice. And everyone dies, the point is when. The theme is political manipulation in a an imagined fascist state. For me, it was not so easy to watch. But then I had the pleasure of meeting one of the executive producers who came to the ecumenical round-table yesterday on the human and spiritual values of contemporary Chinese film (how’s that for a topic?). We got to talking and found that she is a Catholic and went to a Catholic boarding school growing up. We had breakfast together at the hotel this morning; what a wonderful lady. There is a chance the film may win an award here ….

The Sky Crawlers

For all you anime lovers! Warner Bros. has distribution so I imagine this Japanese film will come to the US. This very long film is for older teens and young adults. Don’t let the animation fool you. The film is a sci-fi fusion of animation styles… and not one computer is to be seen throughout. The story follows a very youthful looking pilot, one of the ‘Kildren’ , a by-product of genetic manipulation that clones people who never grow up…. And can only die if they are killed in war. No problem… the wars are manufactured and continual and carried out by companies who exist to fight wars to give people the illusion of peace. Because you only know what peace is if there is a war going on, right? The film is actually an existential conversation between characters about whether or not living is relevant and if walking along a country road each day with the possibility to notice something new makes life worth living. Although this genre is not my favourite, I must admit that it launched many conversations among us jurors. It took way too long to get into the story (as did many of the films at Venice this year….). If you like thoughtful films, you may want to check this one out. It is based on a best-selling Japanese novel.

Rachel Getting Married

This Jonathan Demme film stars Anne Hathaway as Kym, the sister of Rachel, who gets out of rehab just in time for Rachel’s wedding. This is a film that works the 12-step program through and through, and to good effect, I thought. It’s also done with a hand-held camera (as were several films at Venice this year) and according to Demme, he wanted it to be the best home movie ever. It probably achieved that. I really like cultural inclusivity in film, but I thought this pushed a good thing into pure pastiche. Having said this, I think this is an interesting and even important film about family relations and healing. Also, Anne Hathaway proves she has acting chops … she is not just a pretty face... Screenplay by Jenny Lumet... daughter of Sidney.

Anne Hathaway as Kym and Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel.

Gabbla (Inland)

An Algerian surveyor must go into the outback to re-map an area in order to bring in electrical lines to remote villages. He is part of a kind of coffee house intelligentsia/anti-intelligensia group as well that is pushing for a revolution. Once he gets to the village, he meets with hostile local officials who don't seem to want government interference. At the same time, Africans from other countries are sneaking into Algeria to escape persecution in their own countries and the main character discovers a woman in his poor trailer one day….

This extremely long film took almost 90 minutes to get to the action. It is a true art house style of filmmaking that invites contemplation rather than the expectation of cause-effect narrative.

The Hurt Locker

This Kathryn Bigelow film will go down in cinema history as part of the Iraqi war film genre. It follows three soldiers through their last month as a team that diffuses roadside bombs. The premise of the film is that war is addictive. It is relentless in its pursuit of getting the audience to experience even a little of what these soldiers, all male, go through and how once one of them gets home, he cannot settle. He has to go back to find meaning on his life. This film will not be commercially viable but in a few years it will be seen as an important investigation into the psyche of soldiering for a war with no reason, and into the banality of the military’s attempt as assuaging the impending tragedy of the lives of these soldiers. Hand-held camera…. Visceral.

About Me

Hi,
I am Sr Rose Pacatte,FSP director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City, CA. I have an MEd in Media Studies from the University of London. My primary work is media literacy education for parents and teachers within the context of culture, education and faith formation. Take a look at the certification program we have: www.PaulineCMS.org.
I love movies and am the Film/TV columnist for St. Anthony Messenger Magazine: www.americancatholic.org.
You can also find film and media education articles at www.Paulinecms.org.
With Peter Malone, MSH, I am the co-author of the series Lights, Camera...Faith! A movie lover's guide to scripture.Check out www.nationalfilmretreat.org, too. My most recent books are Lights, Camera, Faith: The Ten Commandments, The Nativity story: A Film Study Guide, Into Great Silence Study Guide (with Ron Schmidt, SJ )and Media Mindfulness: Educating Teens about Faith & Media (with Gretchen Hailer, RSHM.)Our new book, Our Media World: Teaching Kids about Faith and Media is due out in late 2009 from Pauline Books & Media, www.Pauline.org
Blessings~